10 Mississippi Sportsman^ | April 2015
UPDATE
Outdoor
continuesW
hile there is no way to track such records, it would
be fair for young Brody Nichols to claim the first tur-
key killed during the 2015 season. Hunting with his
dad Mike, the 7-year-old shot one within an hour of
sunrise on the opening morning of the youth season March 7.
It is one neither will forget, thanks to some up-close action.
According to Mike Nichols, they arrived at their camp in Hinds
County a bit later that planned.
“I got out of the truck to unlock the gate, but before I unlocked
it I heard a turkey gobble about 250 to 300 yards away on this
hill,” Mike Nichols said. “I told Brody to get out of the truck; we
were parking right there.”
Before dad and son could get their gear together, the bird
gobbled again, and it was followed by another gobble from
another bird.
“I couldn’t believe what I
was hearing because it was
25 degrees,” the elder Nichols
said. “We rushed down a trail
to a food plot. I wasn’t sure
which way the turkeys would
go, but it was our best shot
at the moment. We quickly
got set up against some trees,
and I grabbed some limbs to
hide us and cut a few cedar
branches off a tree.
“The turkeys were gobbling
the whole time. I didn’t call
until the turkeys flew down.
After my first call, the turkey
gobbled immediately. After a
few minutes of silence I called
again and got nothing.”
It got more frustrating, as it
often does early when hens
are plentiful.
“I called a few more times and
changed calling sequences,
and still got nothing,” he said.
“The woods were silent for 45
minutes. I told Brody, ‘I don’t
know what happened,’ and I
wasn’t sure if the turkeys were
coming.’
The youngster’s feet were
cold, so Mike Nichols asked if
he wanted to walk around and try to locate the birds.
“He stood up and I was putting my calls back in my bag, and I
thought I heard some clucking,” Nichols said. “I asked Brody had
he heard it, and he said no.“About that time I heard it again, and then I heard a turkey
doing a kee-kee. Brody heard it that time, and he immediately sat
back down in our blind.”
Just as quickly as the woods
had gone silent after the early
gobbling, they fired up with all
kinds of clucks and yelps. Mike
Nichols fired a few calls back
in response.
“The turkeys were get-
ting close, but there was a
problem,” he said. “I thought
the turkeys were going to
approach from our left in front
of us, but they came in right
on top of us. The first turkey
that we could see was less
than 5 yards behind us, walk-
ing right behind our blind. We
couldn’t move.
“We had three jakes and four
hens less than five steps from
us. I was so proud of Brody,
because he didn’t move a bit.
He just had his head down
and was hunkered down as
low as possible to conceal
himself. The turkeys walked
within 7 or 8 feet of us.”
The group of birds walked
into the clover in the food
plot, and the Nichols waited
and watched, hoping for a
longbeard to come.
“I wanted to wait for the gob-
blers to come if they were still
around, but I was scared we were going to get busted,” Nichols
said. “I whispered to Brody, ‘take him,’ and at eight steps, with his
20-gauge, he got his first turkey of the year. He turned 7 in Febru-
ary, and that is his fourth turkey.” ■Turkeys gobbled
early for some
Dates: Open through May 1.
Limits: For most hunters, the daily limit is one mature gob-
bler or a gobbler with a minimum of a 6-inch beard, three per
year. For youngsters 15 and under, the limit is one gobbler of
any age per day, three per year.
Stories: Hunters wishing to share their turkey stories and
photos can visit MS-Sportsman.com and post the informa-
tion. Look for the icon reading “Hottest Reports” on the right
side of the home page. Click on it and follow instructions for
posting. Please post full-size images for best results — you
never know when you’ll appear in the magazine.
Tips: Look for John Woods’ feature on the basics of turkey
calls in this edition of Mississippi Sportsman.Spring turkey season
Seven-year-old Brody Nichols of
Jackson killed this jake gobbler
less than an hour into the youth
season on March 7 while hunting
with his father Mike.